Free things to do in Manchester this week ft. Thomas Ligotti + more

Improv Comedy Playhouse at Gullivers
On Tuesday night, Improv comedy group ImproQuo host their monthly free showcase at Gullivers on Oldham Street. Every month, they invite different improv groups from around the region to perform and try out new stuff, and for this instalment they’ve invited local group Absolute Onions, whose schtick is that they weave an improvised play out of a karaoke song. They are joined on the night by a graduating class of improv students taking their first intrepid steps on stage.
Tue 11 Jun, Gullivers, 109 Oldham Street, Manchester, M4 1LW, 7.30pm – 10pm, www.eventbrite.co.uk

Detecting Pessimism at 70 Oxford Street (pictured)
MMU’s 70 Oxford Street hosts this day-long symposium on permanently pessimistic weird fiction writer Thomas Ligotti, exploring his dour work within a modern political context. The symposium includes a screening of a Ligotti-inspired monologue from the first season of True Detective, followed by paper presentations and discussions from MMU staff and students. The discussions are capped off with a talk from University of London professor and weird fiction expert Roger Luckhurst.
Wed 12 Jun, 70 Oxford Street, Manchester, M1 5NH, 2pm – 9.30pm, www.eventbrite.com

Colonialism and Peterloo at Central Library
Part of the city’s ongoing Peterloo bicentenary, the Ahmed Iqbal Ullah Race Relations Resource Centre hosts this event at Central Library, which aims to explain and explore the links between the historic massacre and colonial violence. Dr Shirin Hirsch from MMU’s History department will talk through the implications of Peterloo, and is followed by spoken word performances covering two centuries of unheard black voices.
Thu 13 Jun, Central Library, St Peter’s Square, Manchester, M2 5PD, 5.30pm – 8pm, www.eventbrite.co.uk

Open Music Archive Public Preview at Castlefield Gallery
Artists Eileen Simpson and Ben White bring their new project The Open Music Archive to Castlefield Gallery this month, and they’re kicking things off with a free preview event on Thursday evening. See our full preview for more details.
Thu 13 Jun, Castlefield Gallery, 2 Hewitt Street, Manchester, M15 4GB, Tel: 0161 832 8034, 6pm – 8pm, www.castlefieldgallery.co.uk